Emotions

Are you thankful that you’re able to experience pain, happiness, sadness, and concern for others, or fondness, freedom, peace and love – all of those emotions?

In one of his books, C.S. Lewis describes how a sunset evokes a certain emotion or reaction.  He says, “Somehow, we find that everything seems to stir something in our soul.” 

Recently, the last several months, I’ve felt that way.  With some health issues, my emotions have been close to the surface.  But as they pass I’ve realized what a blessing they are. 

Feelings and emotions began with God’s original design for man. He made us in his own image.  He designed us so that mountains would enchant us, or a blue sky might calm us, a baby might make us feel protective, or a child’s question would make us laugh. He designed us so that injustice would make us angry, and another person’s pain would give us feelings of compassion.

When we consider that God created us in His image, we can be certain that God has emotions as well. 

There are two wonderful things concerning God and emotions:

First, He understands our emotions (since He created us with the capacity to feel them),

And, second, His own emotions are perfect, because He is perfect.

The Bible has many references to God’s emotions.  Here are a few – there are many more

Anger – Wrath

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

Compassion 

Psalm 135:14 -  For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. 

Grief

Luke 19:41  As He (Jesus) approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

Love

Deuteronomy 7:9  Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep his commandments.

Joy

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you: in his love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.    

I love that!  God takes delight in us and I’m convinced that it’s okay to be happy.  Following Christ should not give us permanent sober faces – I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus was always grim. 

As we read the gospels – if we were to try to visualize Jesus standing there – there are times that we’d likely see a smile on his face, or even a grin.  For instance, when he was talking about John the Baptist.  He said to the people, “Hey what did you come out to see (when you were looking for John,) a reed shaking in the wind?  In other words, did you think this guy in the animal skins, eating locust, would be a weakling?  No, if you came looking for a prophet – that’s what he was, and more than that. 

On the other hand, it’s okay to be unhappy as well.  Jesus was.  Remember He wept, He was angry, He sweat drops of blood – there were so many unhappy times for our Savior.

When we have a tragedy in our lives or when things aren’t going well, it’s okay to be NOT okay. 

When - if you're like me, the emotions are vivid, you might say to yourself , “It’s alright.  Be strong.  Look on the bright side.”  

But that doesn’t always work and sometimes you just want to cry, “There is NO bright side” don’t you?

But then the Holy Spirit says, “Go to your Father and let him handle what you’re unable to handle alone.”  That’s the way of children, and I am God’s child.

God has plans for your emotions.  He is totally okay with how you feel and the amount of feeling you feel.  And He has a plan for all that. 

One plan is that we be thankful that we have feelings at all.

Another is that we bring the feelings to God in total honesty. 

If your feelings are negative, take them to God.

If your feelings are positive, take them to God.

Because the truth is that all of them were created by Him – we just sometimes mess with them and turn them up-side-down.

God has given you power, love and self-control in order to deal with your emotions.  Remember that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of self-control, it means we can control our emotions. God's power lives inside of us.

2 Timothy 1:7 (GNT) For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.





And God is really okay with weakness – because that’s where his power shines through.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

I pray that this little rambling may be helpful to you.today.  Remember your Father loves you! 

He Abides

Have you ever felt that God was right there with you when you were walking through the hard times?  Did you feel His warmth and care?  Sometimes we only think of Him when we "need" Him, when our hearts are troubled by the cares of our lives.  But sometimes I feel His presence even more in the good times. 

We have had such a beautiful autumn this year.  The golden leaves on the aspen trees, the fresh crisp air and the bright blue sky all seem to cry out "I praise you God."  The religious Jewish people have a tradition of "blessing" or praising God for everything.  When they wake up in the morning they bless Him for the sleep, for the morning, for the ability to wake up.  When they get dressed they bless Him for being the one who clothes the naked.  When they eat they bless Him for His created food and on and on all the day long.


Today I bless God for His love - for loving us so much that He gave His only Son that we might be able to walk with Him through all of our days.

God abides in my life in a marvelous way. 

He is lifting me up

hour by hour

day by day.

He gives me rest when I’m weary and hope when I’m low. 

When I lean on his arm, then His strength He will show. 

I can count on His love and I know He will stay

and gentle my fears

hour by hour

day by day. 

God watches close when I sleep. He’s with me in my play,

from the first blush of morning until light fades away. 

He laughs at my antics and smiles when I please. 

He helps with my working,

and rests when I cease.

God abides in my life in a marvelous way,

lifting me up,

hour by hour,

day by day.

And He’ll abide in your life if you ask Him to stay

lifting you up,

hour by hour,

day by day.

Diane

Hide and Seek

God may be hidden, but He is not hiding.

Hide-and-go-seek – remember the game, trying to find the best place, under the stairs, up the tree, or behind the garage? The idea was not to be found. I was never very good at that game.

I want you to know that God doesn’t play games with us. He doesn’t hide from us. His love and His care may be hidden from us by all of the world’s confusion and noise, pain and wickedness. But He promises us that He is not hiding from us. In His scripture we read:

. . . . He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too

will love him and show myself to him.”  John 14:21

God wants us to see Him, to know Him. He’s made his character known, not only in the Bible, but in the world around us.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities

—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, 

being understood from what has been made. . .   Romans 1:20

So if you wonder where He is, please know and trust that He’s there with you. Look at the rainbow and see his promise and His majesty. Listen to the word of truth when He says “I will love you.” And let yourself be found by Him.

In the Desert

Isaiah 35

The desert and the parched land will be glad;

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. 

Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. 

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

Do you see the splendor of God in the desert, in your desert? Can you see the twisted tree continue to live, to breathe life into your desert? Are you that tree, sprouting, living, or giving shelter? Are you that tree – continuing?

God has given us the beauty of the twisted to see how He works in our lives as well. We are twisted, but we can still live, and more than that - we can rejoice and blossom.

Sometimes we feel twisted and broken and we wonder if there will ever be anything to rejoice about. But God will strengthen our feeble hands, and steady our knees. He will say to our fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear:”

My God is in Control

Dear ones. I wrote this little poem years ago at a time when my darling husband had been fighting for life in intensive care. We had just moved to this town and didn't know anyone. Our children were in another part of the country and at the start of Ron's struggle I wasn't able to contact them. It was just God and me. But He was there with me in the night and I knew it!

Through the tears of despair, and of sorrow,

and care

that were clouding my eyes and my heart,
through the haze of my pain,

or when worry would reign,

a glimmer of hope seems to start.

Because as I look around I see

mountains majesty calling down to me,

and rolling clouds on high waving as they fly.

I hear the thunder clapping hands

at my Lord's command.

And there's lightning flashing bright

bringing heavenly light.

And then I watch the little ants that build

and find my broken heart is filled.

Because all these wonders show

what my old heart should know.

My God is in Control.

© Diane Gruchow 2010